Wauseon outlasts Archbold to get 14-13 win at home

4th-quarter botched extra-point attempt figures in final

WAUSEON — Ty Suntken didn't know at the beginning of the week if he would be on the field for Wauseon during Friday night's rivalry game with Archbold.

The Indians’ senior quarterback was nursing a dislocated shoulder that could have sidelined him while his teammates faced the Blue Streaks in a Northwest Ohio Athletic Conference clash.

A doctor's consent received earlier in the day declaring Suntken well enough to play against Archbold allowed the Indians' team leader to play in the final home game of the regular season, right alongside his senior teammates.

Suntken made the most of it by helping Wauseon outlast Archbold 14-13 and collect the Archbold Wauseon Lions Club Traveling Trophy.

Suntken finished the night completing 6 of 13 passes for 123 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kris Boysel in the first quarter. The three-year letterwinner wasn't about to sit out if at all possible.

"I've been playing under coach [Travis] Cooper for two years, almost three while wrapping up this year," he said. "There really wasn't a ton for me to do because guys made plays for me today. I can't say enough about my teammates. They made it happen."

Wauseon (8-1, 6-1 NWOAL) jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half and appeared to be heading for a runaway win over Archbold (6-3, 4-3 NWOAL) after Axel Bueter gave the Indians a two-touchdown advantage when he plowed his way to a two-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.

Bueter gained 107 yards on 19 carries.

The Blue Streaks never bought into the idea of getting blown out. They climbed back and were in position to tie the game late before a special teams snafu allowed Wauseon to cling to a one-point advantage.

After Archbold quarterback Evan Wyse scored on a nifty 31-yard scamper with 8:42 left in the fourth, the Blue Streaks botched the extra-point try.

The holder opted to roll out and attempt a pass for a possible two-point conversion, which would have given Archbold a slim one-point lead. The pass from Jase Grosjean to Logan Baynes was incomplete after Baynes couldn't hold on to the football.

Archbold coach Bryan Miller said they didn't call for a play to try and catch Wauseon off guard.

"That was a kick, I'd have to go back and look at the film to see what happened," Miller said. "That wasn't a fake. That was a kick."

There was still plenty of time left in the final quarter for the Blue Streaks to take the lead for the first time in the game.

Their last opportunity came during the final minutes of play, yet the drive stalled at Wauseon's 30-yard line after Indians linebacker Jacob Flory tackled Wyse on a fourth-down play three yards shy of a first down.

"We were on our heels on that last drive ," Cooper said, referring to the Indians' defensive situation. "They just had us spread out and they were running Evan Wyse. When it counted [defensive] coach [J.D.] Schnitkey switched up the coverage a little bit that gave us a little bit of time to get some pressure on him [Wyse]. He didn't have anybody to throw to and he tucked it down and Jacob Flory made a great play."

Wyse finished the night completing 15 of 21 passes for 150 yards and rushing for 129 yards on 35 carries, including touchdown runs of 5 and 31 yards.